Posted on 06/23/2006 7:21:19 AM PDT by veronica
An Israeli-born doctor stands at the head of team from pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. Inc. who announced this week the FDA approval of the first vaccine to prevent cervical cancer
Senior director of Clinical Research, Merck Research Laboratories Dr. Eliav Barr, originally from Haifa, said about bout the genetically engineered vaccine Gardasil, "This is the first time we have been able to state that administration of the vaccine is going to have an effect on cervical cancer."
In the United States, almost 10,000 women develop cervical cancer each year, leading to 3,000 deaths. In the developing world, the problem is far worse, probably because women are less likely to get screenings that can catch unusual growths before they become cancerous. Worldwide, cervical cancer kills 300,000 women a year.
Almost all the cases of cervical cancer are caused by infection with the human papilloma virus, or HPV, which causes normal cells to multiply out of control. Some strains of HPV lead to cancer (two strains account for 70% of cervical cancers), and others cause genital warts.
Because cervical cancer does not occur in women who have not contracted HPV, Merck, under Barr's guidance, has developed what is essentially the world's first cancer vaccine.
Public health experts called the Gardasil vaccine a major advance against the disease. "This vaccine is a significant advance in the protection of women's health in that it strikes at the infections that are the root cause of many cervical cancers," acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach told Reuters.
Given in three doses over six months, Gardasil targets four HPV types believed to cause more than 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and 90 percent of genital warts. The vaccine was approved for use in girls and women ages 9 to 26, Merck said.
Barr started his medical career as a cardiologist. So it was quite a shift in the mid-1990s when his employer, Merck, asked Barr to join a team that was developing an HPV vaccine.
"I had to go look up what HPV meant," Barr, 42, told The Intelligencer. "This is about as far as you can get from medicine."
Barr said he's overwhelmed by the feeling that he's helped develop something that will save millions of lives.
"It's very difficult to describe," Barr said. "One gets very emotional. It's really a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing."
The biggest challenge for Gardasil comes because of the target market: adolescent girls. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease, and some 20 million American men and women have it. To prevent women from getting cervical cancer, women must be inoculated before they become sexually active. But for some parents and religious groups, that might be a touchy question.
Merck's Barr says that won't be a problem. "You have to understand what's at stake here," he told Forbes. "Regardless of your background, as a parent, you want to be able to protect your child against cancer."
You are evasive; care to explain the insult of calling Jews a race?
"You are evasive; care to explain the insult of calling Jews a race?"
This is not an insult.
The Jewish people are a race and have a certain belief. There is nothing "insulting" about this.
Why do you find this insulting?
"Why not have an advertisement stating that pre-martial sex could give a young woman Cervical cancer?"
"pre-martial sex"? Sex before fighting?
I'll respond when and to whom I like. Your standards are NOT obviously higher; but perhaps you need to focus. Your anger and hatred are confusing you. I never said I approved of pre-marital sex.
Now, listen carefully: I DISAPPROVE of pre-marital sex. There, is that clear? When did I ever say I found waiting for marriage to be offensive? Please cite one instance. You can't, because the only thing I said was that I didn't approve of pre-marital sex. And I never said I felt inferior about my standards, in fact, inferiority to someone like you would never enter my mind. You are evasive and impute motives where non exist. Not only are you an anti-semite, but you are a coward.
We are not a race. We are a religion. Perhaps Stormfront would be more to your liking.
"The affects of HPV are usually gentile warts in men and women"
GENTILE warts? Non-Jewish warts?
"How much funding does it take to stop teens from having sex?"
Just don't give them date or gas money.
Don't tell nmh; if they are non-Jewish warts, she might assume they are ok
I have heard they tested it and it prevents viral infection. But have they proven it prevents cancer? Looking at it another unlikely way, what if it isn't the virus that causes the cancer but the immune response that causes it? The vaccine itself could create more cases of cancer. I know that seems absurd, but it seems like they really don't know what causes any kind of cancer. It seems a good case to sell a lot of new drugs though.
Me: "How much funding does it take to stop teens from having sex?"
Linda: Just don't give them date or gas money.
Ah, if only it was that easy. :) Sadly, though I remember discussions like. "Wanna go to a movie?" "No money." "Ok, wanna make out?" "Yeah, OK."
Now, be off with you, you bore me. Go join a pogrom (look it up) or write a letter to the editor claiming the Holocaust is a hoax. I am finished toying with you. Ciao!
My grandmother died at 36 of cervical cancer. That was during the early years of the Depression, so all I have is one photo of this pretty woman. According to my father who loved her, she walked the floors at night in agony. She was a married, practicing Catholic who, most assuredly, did not have sex outside of marriage.
This disease is also highly genetic.
Good catch.
Sex before fighting doesn't sound like too bad an idea. Use up all your energy and not too much left for the fighting. Could work....
Caught another one I see. You're on your toes that's for sure. ;-)
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